FRISCO, Texas — Jevon Kearse couldn’t remember the exact Dallas CowboysHe was watching a game, but his eyes kept on Jayron, his nephew, as he played. Micah Parsons.
“This No. 11, he has that motor,” said Kearse, nicknamed “the Freak” during his 11 NFL seasons. “When I see him pass rush, it’s like he does all the right stuff. When you think he’s going outside, he goes in. When you think he’s using speed, he uses power. … He is the complete package. If he lined up at end every play, he probably would’ve broke [Michael] Strahan’s record.”
And if Parsons had broken Strahan’s single-season record of 22.5 sacks, he first would have beaten Kearse’s record for sacks by a rookie (14.5).
Parsons’ chase of Kearse’s record fell short in part because the Cowboys’ rookie linebacker spent the final regular-season game on the reserve/COVID-19 list. But his final numbers were as impactful to the Cowboys’ success as Kearse’s were to the Tennessee Titans22 years ago, the defensive end was named Defensive Player of the Year.
Parsons finished with a Cowboys rookie-record 13 sacks. There were also 84 tackles. 42 quarterback pressures. Parsons had 20 tackles for lost, which was third in the league.
He is the favorite to win Defensive Roster of the Year and should be considered for Defensive Player Of The Year. Lawrence Taylor, a linebacker from the University of Texas, was the only rookie to win this award. New York Giants1981
The Cowboys will begin their playoff journey against the San Francisco 49ers at AT&T Stadium on Sunday (4:30 p.m. ET, CBS) Parsons is expected to be removed from the reserve/COVID-19 roster soon and will attempt to do what Kearse did as an rookie — lead his team to a Super Bowl.
Super Bowl XXXIV was lost by the Titans to the St. Louis Rams. However, Kearse still had three more sacks and a tackle for the loss.
Tennessee had a mostly veteran defense during Kearse’s rookie year, unlike Dallas, but his impact went beyond statistics.
“It was unique in that he just loved everybody, he loved to practice, loved to compete,” former Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. “He was happy all the time. He never complained about anything. He was really, really good. Kind of one of those, ‘Is this too good to be true?’ A lot of that rubbed off on the guys.”
Parsons had a similar impact in and out of the field for Cowboys defense that was terrible last year, allowing a record 473 points. His draft No. 12th overall). His arrival coincided with some schematic changes and a surge of energy from Dan Quinn. The defense was seventh in the NFL for points allowed and had a league record 34 takeaways.
Parsons were lined up all over, unlike Kearse. According to Pro Football Focus, Parsons’ 902 defensive snaps shaped up like this: 498 at linebacker, 374 at defensive line, 29 at cornerback, 1 at safety.
“We’ve been playing here for a long time and we’ve had some excellent edge rushes, so for a guy to have that kind of production when you’re not playing the position full time, I think that speaks to where his future is going from tackles for loss and sacks and impact plays,” Quinn said. “We plan on him being an excellent player here for a long time and I thought just to kick it off in that fashion for him has been a remarkable start to it.
“He’s hungry for it, which is nice because not everybody can handle that kind of versatility and not only at any part of your career, but especially as a rookie. So I definitely tip my hat to him.”
Parsons was just 4 months old at the time Kearse recorded his three first NFL sacks. Cleveland BrownsSeptember 19, 1999. Kearse also had 14.5 sacks and led the league with eight forced fumbles. He also had 15 tackles for loss, nine pass defenses, one fumble recovery, and a touchdown.
Parsons was aware of Kearse, and he did some Google searches while talking to Jayron, his teammate.
“His stats was extremely rare for his rookie year,” Parsons said. “I asked JK about him. He also said the same thing. He was a great player. He was real successful in the league.”
Parsons wonders if he had been only a pass-rusher to see what his total sacks would have been.
“You look at the statistics, guys might have four or three more sacks than me but might have 300 or 400 more pass-rush attempts than me,” Parsons said. “That does speak volumes to the explosiveness I can bring to the game. I’m always available. And it speaks volumes to how I’m being used. Never know if I’m a spy, if I’m coming — but they always got to account [for] me. This opens up many opportunities for people.
“Sometimes people always try to look at stats and say if this person’s having a good season. Sometimes it’s really not about stats, it’s about how is this person impacting the game. I believe every game I create an impact.”
Jayron KearseHe was five years old when his uncle started wrecking games as a rookie. He remembers Jevon playing free safety in highschool and moving to linebacker at Florida, before moving to defensive end for the Titans. He is also a good friend of the nickname.
“He got a lot of that from his hands,” Jayron said Jevon’s hands, which measured 11.63 inches at the combine. “His hands are freakishly large, so he was a specimen.”
Jayron, who led the Cowboys in tackles (101), is in his sixth NFL season and has been surprised by Parsons’ season.
“I’ve never seen a rookie perform how he’s performed — no way, shape or form been a part of it,” Jayron said. “… Can play as an off-ball defensive linebacker, and can even be a top-five off-ball linebacker. Can play on the edge, and can be a top 5 pass-rusher. I’ve got a lot of respect for a lot of guys in the league that do that well, whether it’s the Bobby Wagners, the T.J. Watts. It’s just crazy that he can get off the ball and play just as good as a Bobby Wagner or he can get on the line and be just as good as a T.J. Watt. You don’t see that from a lot of people, especially being he’s a rookie. He’s only 22 years old. He’s going to continue to get better.”